What if Bella was a
by Blackstar.Lily
Summary: We take a look in Bella's life as an immortal, as she heads out to live in Forks. Here she meets a coven of vampires and one of them catches her eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it's Stephenie Meyers**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**The Arrival**

Bella Swan had been a vampire for almost a century and she had been alone the entire time. She ran into other vampires from time to time, but they were always different then her. They hunted humans, she never did. Her human life had been taken from her, but she would never do that to anyone else. So she didn't hunt or kill humans, instead she hunted animals.

She had discovered the option of hunting animals all on her own. As a newly turned vampire, she had been abandoned. The first few days, after going through the fire of the change, had been very confusing and it wasn't something she liked to think about. After killing one human, regret had gripped her. She only knew she never was going to kill a human ever again, so she noticed that she could also survive on animal blood.

Still the first weeks of her immortal life were not something she wanted to think about. It was just too painful, but sitting in the car she let her mind wander. She sighed.

Bella was moving to another city, as had been her routine since she noticed she wasn't aging. So every few years, sometimes nearly a decade, she moved to a new city, a new house to call home. She sighed again.

This time she had looked for a place with bad weather and a lot of forest, so she could try to be normal and attend school. High school, again. But still it would be good to interact with humans on a daily basis. At least that's what Bella tried to convince herself off. So the place she was going now was Forks, Washington. Apparently it was always clouded and rainy there, surrounded by forest.

As soon as Bella arrived in town, she saw what kind of small village Forks really was. She didn't mind though, less humans to stare at her. She drove through the town without the need for a map. She had studied it before leaving and with her perfect memory she didn't need it anymore.

She pulled up in front of a small house on the other end of the town. She looked at it from the front. _It__has__a__certain__charm,_she thought. _So__this__is__to__be__my__home._

It was a small house, but Bella liked it. It was cozy. Too Bella it was like every other small town house. She could she herself living in it, even if it was just for a few years. It was on the edge of town, surrounded by forest, so that was convenient. Now she could walk off in the forest to hunt, without anyone seeing her or suspecting anything.

Bella arrived at the high school the following day, a bit too early. She was expected to go to the administration for her schedule and what not. She drove on the lot and searched for a place to park, while more looking at the other cars. Hers was by far the most expensive, except for a silver Volvo, parked at the other end of the lot.

Bella stepped out of the car and let her eyes swoop across the campus. There was a building with a sign "Front Office," so she decided to start there. She walked at human pace, feeling no hurry to begin with her school life.

Every student she came across stared at her and made sure to be out of her way. Bella bit back a smile.

Standing in front of the office she took a deep breath before entering, filling her lungs with clean, forest-smelling air. Then she stepped inside the warm, small space.

The woman behind the counter looked up and gasped at Bella, before she could control herself. When she regained her speech, she said, "Uhm, hello there."

"Hello, I'm Isabella Swan," Bella introduced herself.

"Ah, of course, I'm Mrs. Cope," the woman said. "I have your schedule here." She began digging through the papers that lay on the counter and gave Bella a piece of paper. "And a map from the school."Another piece of paper. "Also this, for your teachers to sign, bring it back to me at the end of the day."

Bella took one glance at her schedule and at the map. It would be very easy for her to find everything, especially because Forks High School was a very small school with few buildings. She was already mapping out the best routes to each class in her head.

"Do you need me to go through your schedule with you?" Mrs Cope asking, drawing Bella attention back to her.

"No, thank you, I think I'll be alright." Bella smiled politely to the woman.

"Okay, I hope you'll like it here, have a nice day."

"Thank you, you too."

Bella quickly walked out of the office and glanced at her schedule for the last time. Her first class was English. She walked tobuilding 3 at human pace, not hurrying again. She knew this year was going to be easy, but she had remind herself of why she was doing this. She did this to be around humans, even if being close to one set her throat on fire.

She got to the building. Inside she carefully sniffed the air. The humans'scent was very intense in the air and was, for Bella, very painful and mouth watering. It sent fists of fire down her throat.

The classroom was small. People stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. Bella copied them. While she did she looked at the other students. A lot of them had a very light skin. So her paleness wouldn't stand out completely.

Bella took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man named Mr. Mason. He gawked at Bella, not something she hadn't seen before, but still if she could have blushed she would have. He sent her to an empty seat in back without introducing her to the class. She was glad with her seat, now it was harder for everyone to stare at her. Bella just let her eyes go over the reading list the teacher had given her. It was basic: Brontë, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. She already read everything, but then again it was hard to find a list she hadn't read. So this was going to be easy… and boring.

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, one of the human boys looked at Bella and she could she see the decision whether or not to talk to her being made. She smiled politely at him, but she had no desire to talk to him.

"Hello, you're new right?" he asked nervously.

Everyone in a three-seat radius turned around to look at the boy and Bella talking. Curious humans, Bella thought almost irritated.

Bella put on another fake, polite smile and nodded. "It's Bella."

"I'm Eric," the boy said. "What's your next class? Maybe I can show you the way."

Bella didn't have to look. She knew her schedule, but she made a show of pulling it out of her bag to check. "Um, Gorvernment, with Jefferson, in building six."

"I'll walk with you."

They got their jackets and walked outside, into the rain, which had picked up. Bella knew all the humans around them were looking, almost close enough to listen in on their conversation, not that they had one. The human boy, Eric, was too nervous to talk and Bella was just bored. She tried not to stand too close to his warm body.

In her peripheral vision Bella saw Eric open his mouth and close it again. She smiled. It was a human instinct to be nervous around her, around vampires. Bella just thought it was humorous, how nervous the human was. He had every right to be, of course, but still… humorous.

They walked to the building in silent and when they arrived at building six, they parted ways. Bella smiled at him and thanked him for his help.

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. Only one teacher, Mr. Varner, made her introduce herself in front of the class. After two classes Bella started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver then the others who would introduce themselves and sometimes asked questions about how Bella was liking Forks. Bella had her story straight and ready, so nothing they asked surprised her.

One girl, named Jessica, who had two classes with Bella, walked with her to the cafeteria. Bella had considered skipping lunch, but it was all part of the human experience and to look normal, lunch and eating was part of that.

So far nothing really interesting or surprising had happened. But as soon as Bella got to the cafeteria she could smell several different scents and recognized one she had not expected. She froze. It was a very sweet scent, which was almost pressed away by the human scent.

She knew instantly what it was.

Vampires.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, that honor belongs to Stephenie Meyer

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Here's chapter 2, I hope you like it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**The Cullens**

Lunch was really slow and dragging, for Bella. The tension in her body never subsided. As soon as she noticed the scent, her eyes had searched the cafeteria until she saw five vampires. If she had suspected anything, it certainly wasn't this. FIVE vampires. An entire coven.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where Bella stood as possible in the long room. They weren't talking, all staring away in a different direction.

They didn't look anything alike, but they were definitely vampires. But to Bella their most speaking feature were their eyes. It was the first thing that Bella saw. Gold, not red. They were animal hunters, not human hunters. Bella always thought she was the only one. Still it was not enough for Bella to relax, because she was still in danger of the huge coven. Even with her shield she couldn't fight off five vampires at the same time.

The vampires hadn't noticed her yet, but they would. Bella moved to get herself some food she wasn't going to eat. The human girl still walked beside her, but hadn't noticed any change in Bella. She was just going on about her small life problems.

It wasn't until Bella had taken a seat next to Jessica, that the other vampires noticed her. The first two who noticed her, where the short girl that was kind of like a pixie and a boy who seemed to react to her and seemed to be younger than of the rest of them. Of course, a vampire's age was very hard to guess. The five of them looked at each other, whispering to one another and then they looked directly at Bella.

She was careful not to look directly back at them. She was seemingly staring at the ceiling of the table next to hers, only looking at the coven from her peripheral vision.

Bella looked around her table and then at the girl next to her. _It __can__'__t __hurt __to __ask __who __they __are, __can __it? _she wondered. She was very curious about the coven, but at the first place she wanted to know if they were a threat to her. Bella was absolutely certain that the humans didn't know that they were vampires. Otherwise they would have recognized Bella to be one as well and until now they hadn't.

"Who are _they_?" Bella asked the girl from her last class, inclining to the vampire coven across the cafeteria. The girl looked up to see who she meant and the youngest suddenly looked at her, then his dark, but obviously golden eyes flickered to Bella's. He looked away quickly again.

"That's Edward, Emmett and Alice Cullen, and the blonds are Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife. They are all adopted or something."

Bella glanced at the coven again. The youngest was looking at his tray, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly and Bella noticed he was talking to the others about something, probably about her.

Bella strained her ears to catch what he was saying.

"… is a vampire, she asked Jessica Stanley about us. I don't know what she's doing here. Alice, why didn't you see this?" he murmured to the others.

The pixie like vampire, Alice, answered. "I don't know, Edward. I didn't see her coming. But look at her eyes, she can't be that bad."

They all stared at Bella again, after her comment. Bella did her best to hide her discomfort. She looked at the vampires, letting them know she heard their words.

Edward looked at her with a strange, curious expression. Bella felt the lightest touch against her shield; almost as if one of them was trying to see if it was there, making her even more nervous. His look turned dark with frustration. Bella didn't understand where it was coming from. If he was trying to do something, her shield would repel it, she took comfort from that.

Edward looked back at the others, as if they had called his name. No one had, though, Bella would have heard that.

"Bella," the girl next to her said.

Bella looked back, almost bewildered. She had forgotten about the cafeteria and the humans around her. "Yes?" she asked politely. _Always __be __polite,_ she chanted to herself. _Let __nobody __see __you__'__re __upset._

"What do you think?" Jessica said, obviously displeased by Bella's lack of attention.

Bella searched her memory, but she just hadn't heard the question beforehand and did not know it now. "About what?"

"About the Cullens. Duh." Jessica's voice took on an most unpleasing tone.

"Well, why would I think anything of them? I don't know them," Bella answered as truthfully as she could. Jessica looked like she didn't believe Bella. She started a conversation with another human, gossiping about the Cullen family.

"I can't hear her," Edward whispered to his siblings.

"What do you mean?" the biggest guy asked.

Bella listened intently again. She hadn't understood Edward as well. Not that she knew him well enough, but still he was talking about her.

"Just like I said, I can't hear her, Emmett," Edward whispered again.

Emmett looked at Bella. "Hey, you," he said, not loud enough for humans to hear, but loud enough to make Bella understand he was talking to her.

"Emmett," the others all hissed simultaneously at him.

Bella didn't look at them while she answered. "What?"

The humans around her didn't even look up, not having noticed the too silent communicating, going on between the vampires.

"Who are you?" Emmett asked. The others almost groaned that their brother and the blond one, Jasper, hissed.

A smile crossed Bella's face, like her name would give anything away that they wanted to know. "My name is Bella."

"We should talk, Bella," Edward said and the curious expression came back to his face, "but not here."

"Agreed," Bella answered. Even though it could be dangerous to be alone, in a non-public place, with them, that was better than not knowing.

The rest of the lunch stayed silent. Every vampire was too submerged in their own thoughts that there was no room for conservations. Bella was glad with the silence; she always preferred that over noise and even over the company of other living creatures. So she remained silent as well.

As soon as the bell rang, Bella stood up, disposed off her untouched tray of food and quickly walked to her next class, Biology. One of the human girls she had sat next to, walked with her. She was a very shy girl, so Bella had an excuse not to talk.

So the walk to Biology was a quiet and enjoyable one. Bella thought about the coven of vampires, whether they were a threat to her. They seemed to think they could take her on, but they didn't know her. Bella had her shield, but she didn't know them either. What if one of them had a gift that could best her shield? That had never happened before.

When Bella arrived at the classroom, she saw that it was nearly full. The only free place was next to… next to one of the Cullens… next to one of the vampires. Bella had to force herself to keep moving.

She walked over to the teacher's desk to introduce herself. Bella felt her shield and was relieved when her mind touched the invisible muscle around her. It was still there, so even if this vampire had a gift he wouldn't be able to use it on her.

The teacher sent her to the only empty seat left in the room. Bella walked reluctantly to her seat.

_This __is __going __to __be __a __very __interesting __class,_ Bella thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**I still don't own Twilight, it's Stephenie Meyers

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Biology**

Sitting next to Edward Cullen was not as bad as Bella had dreaded. Not that it was fun, just not so bad. They were both too rigid to talk or interact with each other. But at least he hadn't tried to attack or kill her, or had shown aggression in any other form.

The only interaction they had was when Edward had looked at her, always with the same odd, but curious expression. As if he was trying to "hear" her, as he had said to the other vampires.

Bella wondered endlessly about what it could mean. He could hear her, she knew that. They had spoken in the cafeteria. So what had he meant, when he said he couldn't hear her? It didn't make any sense to Bella.

Throughout the hour, she had looked at him as he had stared at her. Bella was already well acquainted with the subject the teacher was explaining, so there was no need to pay attention to him in the slightest.

While Bella continued to look at Edward, the tension in her body just increased for some reason. This hour was the first time she really looked at Edward Cullen. She had to admit that, even among vampire standards, he was very handsome. His skin was, like with all vampires, like marble, smooth and white. His features were very angular; high cheekbones, strong jawline, a straight nose, and full lips. His hair looked messy and had an unusual bronze shade in it.

Bella lingered on his eyes. They were dark with golden undertone, indicating that he needed to hunt. She briefly wondered what color they had been, when he was human. She decided on a brownish green like color. That seemed to fit best and that would certainly stand very good with his hair.

The teacher droned on and on, until the bell rang. "All right," he said. "That was all for today, folks. Read chapter five and six of your book, for the next class."

Edward and Bella both stood up gracefully. They looked at each other and walked out of the classroom together.

"Would you mind talking together with everyone after school?" Edward asked politely.

Bella knew she had to talk to the other vampires, to show them she wasn't a danger to them or they to her and to find out more about them. But that didn't make it easier. She was at a disadvantage, because they were with so many and she was alone.

"Al right, fine," she said, a bit reluctantly, "just tell me where."

"Our house, you can ride after us, from the school parking lot."

Bella eyed him suspiciously. "Shouldn't ask the others first, before you invite me?"

He laughed slightly, as if they already knew, while he asked me. Bella had to admit, it was a possibility. "They'll be fine with it. Besides they also think we should all get to know each other. If you want to, that is."

"Fine, I'll ride after you. I'll see in the parking lot after school." She looked at the humans around her. They were all looking at the two of them. She smiled and looked back at Edward. He had that odd expression again. "See you then, I have to go to class now. Bye."

Bella walked away before he could answer. Her last class of the day was gym. That was going to be uninteresting. For a vampire, with super human strength and speed, doing sports on a human level was just plain boring. She had to be careful because humans were so fragile and soft. But that meant she couldn't use her full potential. She had to slow herself down and couldn't use any of her power.

Bella quietly walked to gym. She wasn't paying attention to where she was walking, completely emerged in her own thoughts.

When she came around the corner of one of the school buildings, a boy bumped into her. Bella quickly pulled herself back before he felt her ice cold skin or he hurt himself by her hard body.

The boy looked up and stared into her eyes. He blinked twice, not seeming absolutely sane. Bella breathed in carefully and was relieved when there was no blood. At least he hadn't hurt himself. He just continued to stare at her, until Bella broke the silence.

"Hello, are you alright?" she asked.

"Oh… uhm, yeah sure," he answered, after a few seconds too long. "You're Isabella Swan, right?"

_Wow, __seems __like __news __spreads __fast __around __here. __Go __figure, __well __it __is __a __very __small __town._ Bella looked at him, he seemed nice, and he had a cute, kind of baby-shape face with blond hair. "It's Bella, actually," she corrected him.

"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Mike," he told Bella. She didn't like the way Mike looked at her. He seemed to have fallen for her vampire, too good to be true looks. Well, it's not like she cared or even took much notice of the boy.

"Nice to meet you." That was just good manners.

"Do you need any help with finding your next class?" he asked. His face had become hopeful as if he wished she would accept his help.

Bella had to hide her laughter; why would she need any help, it was a very small school and her memory was perfect, another handy kind of vampire feature. "Well, I have gym next hour. I think I'll be able to find the building." Her smile grew wider at the thought of her needing a humans' help.

"That's my next class to," Mike said, looking completely thrilled. "I'll walk with you, then."

So they walked together to gym, not that Bella could recall her giving him consent to do so. She didn't complain nonetheless. The walk was not as pleasant as the other walks she had taken with humans this day, because Mike kept staring at her and it made Bella more and more annoyed. Sure, she seemed beautiful to him – she smirked at the thought of someone describing her as beautiful – but she had to die to become so. She didn't like when humans saw nothing but vampire features.

By the gym building they separated, to get changed. Bella was quicker than most girls, even when she made no haste. All the human girls around her, stopped to make sure they looked great and to check her make up. Bella didn't do that, she didn't care how she looked like. She always remained the same, so what is the use?

Gym pasted very slowly for her. The coach made her sit on the bench, the entire lesson. It was very, very, and then she means very, boring. Because she had to sit out, Bella had a lot of time to overthink everything.

Later this day, she would be alone with at least five vampires. She had mentally kicked herself for not asking Edward Cullen if there were more vampires in his coven. Now she wasn't even sure of what she would have to go against. And what if it came to a fight? What would happen then? Of course, Bella had her shield, but she couldn't be certain it was going to be enough. She didn't know if they had powers and what they would, or if her shield would stop them.

She worried and worried until the hour was over. She got off the bench reluctantly and walked to the changing rooms. On her way, she shook off a very annoying Mike, which didn't help with her mood.

Bella walked out into the parking lot, with her head held high. She didn't let her steps be faltered, when she noticed the five vampires standing by a single silver Volvo. Edward nodded to her and made a gesture that indicated that she was to follow. She nodded back slightly and got to her car.

_All __right,_she thought. _Here __goes __nothing._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I hope you guys like this new chapter, coming up next The Cullen Mansion


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or it's characters, those still are property of Stephenie Meyer

**A/N:** The Cullen Mansion! Bella meets Carlisle and Esme...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**The Cullen Mansion**

Bella drove after the Cullens in her car, trying very hard to get herself compost and not to feel completely panicked. She had a lot of practise with keeping herself and her emotions in check and suppressing her nature all the more completely. But she had decided long ago never to hunt humans or drink human blood, but also search for others like her.

Now she finally had found other vampires with golden eyes and she was panicking. She sighed and turned on the radio silently. Clair de Lune was always soothing to her, one of her favourites.

It wasn't too long until the Volvo make a turn and drove on to a driveway that leads to their house. Bella followed without having any trouble in the change of roads. The driveway was very long and in the middle of the forest. It made Bella wondered what their house looked like.

They stopped in front of a house that was very beautiful and peaceful looking. It was timeless, graceful and very soft in colour, and it was three stories tall. To Bella it looked amazing, like a real home.

Bella could see another car, a dark Mercedes, parked in front of the house. As soon as Bella was out of the car, she could hear two other vampires move around in the huge house. Great, that made a total of seven vampires.

Bella kept her emotions under control, not letting them show on her face, and followed the others to the house. Bella hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been this. The interior was very bright, very open and very large, even for Bella as a vampire. She also moved around a lot and since she was alone and didn't need to sleep, a big house always seemed pointless to her. But this house was fantastic. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass.

The Cullens walked directly to the dining room without waiting for Bella. Edward just looked back; to be sure she was still following them. Inside the dining room were two vampires waiting for her. The two vampires were a male and a female, from which Bella could only presume that they were Dr. Cullen and his wife.

After entering the room, Bella stopped walking. She was unsure of what to do or how to proceed, but she wanted to stay close to the exit, just in case.

Dr. Cullen stood up and looked at Bella. Before talking, he first looked at all the others. When they slightly nodded, he nodded back. Then he looked at Bella again. "Hello, I'm Carlisle, this is Esme and you already met the rest of my family."

Bella raised her eyebrows at the word 'family'. She never heard a vampire use it to describe a coven. But it seemed fitting; they really did seem closer than a regular coven. Carlisle was still waiting for a answer, so she nodded. "It's nice to meet you," she said, more because she wanted to be polite then anything else. "I'm Bella."

"Well, Bella, I have to say, we weren't expecting to find someone else like us," he said, with a soft smile on his face. "I can see your choice in diet in your eyes. So I'm right to think you do not hunt humans?"

"Yes, that is correct," she answered, almost surprised by the kindness of this strange vampire. "I have hunted animals ever since I became a vampire."

Carlisle nodded and looked at the others. His eyes rested on Edward a little longer, then on the others. He only looked back at Bella, after Edward shrugged lightly.

"Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" he asked, putting Bella in a difficult situation. She didn't want to reveal too much about herself, without them giving up information in return.

"Well…" she hesitated. "My birth name was Isabella, but I usually stick with variations of it, like Bella. I was changed almost a century ago."

Surprise flashed across the faces of the Cullens; they had not expected her to be turned so long ago. Bella grimaced a little by seeing their expression. She always hated to be the centre of attention. As a vampire among humans it was nearly impossible not to stand out, but at least they left her alone most of the time.

"Ever since I was changed, I travelled a lot. Always on my own." Her face grew sad at all the memories of feeling lonely, that were coming back. "I decided to come here just recently, because of the cloudy weather and all that. I didn't know there were others here. So I'm sorry to intrude in your territory." She stopped talking and looked at the leader, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

Carlisle's smile grew wider, but there was also sadness in his eyes. "I know what it's like to live alone for a century. I was alone until I found the members of my family, which stand before you now. We do not blame you or think of you as an intruder. We merely wanted to get to know you."

Bella sighed and relieve and calm instantly flowed through her body, though it felt strange and alienated. "Well, that is a relieve. I have never met someone who hunts the same way as I do."

Carlisle and some of the others let out a small chuckle. "Take a seat, Bella, and please make yourself at home. It is always a pleasure to meet another vegetarian."

"Um, excuse me? Vegetarian?" she asked confused.

"Of, yeah, it's our little inside joke," Edward answered. "Since we don't hunt humans."

"Of course," Bella grinned slightly. She was feeling a bit nervous, but before she fully realized it, there was another wave of calming emotions entering her body. Only this time she also felt a brief touch on her shield. Someone was messing with her mind or body around her shield.

Bella strengthened her shield, pulling it closer towards her, but she also closed it around other parts of her being, not just around her mind. She looked for the source of the unfamiliar touch. Her search let her straight to one of vampires standing before her. Not two seconds had past.

She looked at the vampire, Jasper, she remembered. His eyes looked shocked and he raised his eyebrows. "How…?" he was starting to say, but thought better of it. Instead he looked at Edward, who shrugged again.

"I don't know," he said as if he answered an unheard or unspoken question. They always seemed to look at Edward for all the answers. Bella didn't know if this was correct, but it seemed to confirm her suspicions about him having a gift or power.

He looked at Bella again with the same curious expression on his face. The expression with which he had looked at her the entire day. Only now did Bella think she could ask him, why he was looking at her for the entire day, with that very annoying and irritating expression. Bella looked back at him, feeling even more annoyed at him and at herself, for letting her emotions control her.

"What?" she asked a little harsher then she had intended, because she was so annoyed and irritated. She quickly pushed it down, when she saw Edward flinch at her tone. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked in a more polite voice.

"Like what?" he asked, surprised. But Bella could hear another emotion flittering on the edge of his tone, she couldn't quite place. Then that annoying look was back.

"Like that," she answered, irritated again. "Like I'm a very interesting specimen that you're stydiying."

"Oh," was his only answer.

Bella rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Next chapter is more like Edward POV, but still third person


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight.

**A/N:** yay, new chapter done. I hope you like and thanks to everyone for reviewing. Next chapter will be back at the (sort of) Bella POV. I also posted another story, so please read that one as well...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Looking back**

It was just after midnight and Edward was lying on his black leather couch. It had been a few hours since the new vampire Bella had left. He didn't really know what to think of her. She was not unpleasant to look at and she seemed very nice and polite. But those hadn't been his first thoughts after seeing the girl for the first time. The first thing he had noticed, after seeing she was a vampire of course, was her silence.

When their paths had first crossed in the cafeteria, he had tried to hear her over and over again, with no luck. Still, he could not hear a single word from her ever silent mind.

He had been so focused on his quest – trying to hear Bella's thoughts to cleanse his own curiosity and, even though he deem it also important, but had known it was unnecessary, to hear if she was a threat to him and his family or a threat of exposure – that he had been wearing an odd expression, that was his curiosity on his face the entire time. He had only noticed after the girl had told him. Thinking back left him grinning.

_Flashback:_

"Oh," was his only answer.

The girl rolled her eyes at him, not commenting any further, seeming to have made her point.

Edward had to admit to himself that he hadn't noticed that he had let his curiosity show on his face. He had been incredibly rude, he realized. Now he really felt obligated to explain his behaviour to the girl.

"Well, you see, I can read minds," he explained quickly before anyone could stop him. He could hear that the others didn't want him to tell the visitors about that, because it gave their family an advantage over Bella, in case she would turn out to be a threat any way.

Edward saw something like acknowledgement cross Bella's eyes, like his words made sense to her. That couldn't be right, could it?

"But…" he hesitated before continuing, hearing the objections of the others. _Well, __I __might __as __well __tell __her __everything,_ he thought. "I can't hear you. Nothing, not a single word. That's never happened to me before."

"Neither can I," Jasper joined in, before the girl had a chance to respond. "I mean, I can't sense you." He frowned. He was unhappy with the way he was explaining his gift. "Your emotions, I mean. I can sense everyone's emotions and alter them if I want too. Like calming someone down."

Edward looked through Jaspers mind. Jasper saw the girl, but whenever he extended an emotion towards her, he hit a silent wall that was surrounding her. Though Edward clearly saw that Jasper could sense her earlier that hour, when she had just arrived at their house.

Bella's eyes slightly narrowed at them. "It's rude to toy with someone's emotions," she told Jasper. Alice chuckled softly. "That's why I blocked you," she continued. Then her gaze went back to Edward. "I have a power as well. I can shield myself from most attacks, especially attacks to my mind."

Edward opened his mouth to protest against her choice of words. His mindreading wasn't an attack, it was very involuntary. It's not like he had wanted it, even though reading minds really came in handy at times.

But Bella stopped him by raising her hand. "I'm not saying your mind reading is an attack. It's just like the kind of thing my shield blocks." She smiled a little bit to him, but her eyes betrayed other emotions. Her eyes seemed like they told him more about her, at least more than her shielded mind. How fascinating. He had never met someone with a mind he couldn't read.

Bella's eyes definitely had more emotions and thoughts in them. To Edward the girl seemed nervous. He wondered if she was nervous about telling his family about her shield. She must her never trusted enough anyone to tell them that. That led to some mixing emotions in Edward, emotions he didn't fully understand or recognize.

_Well, __that__'__s __nothing __we __can__'__t __beat,_ Emmett thought.

Edward shook his head slightly at Em's thoughts. _Sometimes __Emmett __was __really __an __idiot._

_End of the flashback._

Edward chuckled, when he thought back. All of his family had become very worried when they learned what this new vampire could do; she could block all their powers, including his own. He couldn't hear her, Jasper couldn't feel her and Alice couldn't see her. But Edward still didn't think Bella formed a threat to them, he was certain of this.

Edwards mood turned slightly when he remembered the conversation he had with his family, after Bella had left.

_Flashback:_

Even without Jaspers ability to feel emotions, Edward noticed that Bella never felt really comfortable in their house. It wasn't really strange or unexpected. Any vampire wouldn't feel at ease among a strange coven of vampires that they didn't know or knew if they were trustworthy. So after a quick tour of the house, she left.

Edward was left to feel a little conflicted. He had never felt that way in his life. It was like he didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He was also still a bit unsure of what he thought of the girl.

He saw Jasper staring at him. "Are you alright?" Jasper asked him. Edward could see the reason behind his question and grimaced a little. _Your __emotions __are __all __over __the __place. __I __never __felt __you __feel __that __way._Jaspers thoughts were clear, but what Edward could see of his gift was everything but clear. Apparently he wasn't the only one who was feeling conflicted.

"I'm fine," he answered. "That was unexpected though," he said talking to the others as well. He looked at Alice. "Did you see her coming?" he asked, though he knew the answer. If Alice had seen her, she would have said so. He just wanted it confirmed.

Alice shook her head, looking a bit confused and irritated. "No, I didn't," she said. Edward smiled at her tone.

"So she can block all of us then," Jasper said.

"Yes, she is very interesting," Carlisle said. Edward didn't need to read his mind, to know Carlisle was brewing with curiosity. "We should ask her over again, sometimes."

"Yes," Esme chimed in. "She really seemed like a lovely girl."

Jasper was nodding, but not in agreement. _We __should __keep an __eye __on __her, __just __in __case. __Even __if __she __doesn__'__t __hunt __humans, __she __can __still __be __a __threat. __I __will __not __allow __Alice __to __live __in __even __the __slightest __hint __of __danger. __If __we __must__… __then __I __will__…_

Edward growled slightly at his brother. He didn't know where the reaction came from, he just knew he didn't like where Jaspers thoughts were going.

"Jasper…" Alice warned. Edward could suddenly see himself attack Jasper. His growl stopped and he looked at Alice, with complete surprise.

Jasper just raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment.

_End of the flashback._

Edward still got a little upset whenever he thought of it. He knew Jasper and the past he could never forget. Jasper would do everything for Alice. He would stop at nothing to make sure Alice was safe. Still it unsettled Edward to see how much the thought bordered him. The thought that the girl might be harmed was almost painful.

Edward stopped the thought, his throat closing. He had never expected or experienced this kind of pain.

He was distracted by a mental voice just outside the door, a rather worried voice.

"Come in, Alice," he said, not needing to raise his voice. He could hear Jaspers mind on the first floor, worrying about Alice's' strange behaviour.

She entered and looked at him. "Hey, Edward," she said.

He just raised one eyebrow. "What is it, Alice?"

_Were __you __really __going __to __attack __Jasper? _she thought, hurt. _Why __would __you __do __that? __What__'__s __going __on, __Edward?_

Edward looked away, ashamed of actions he hadn't down. "No, I wasn't, Alice, of course not. I don't know what happened."

Alice sat down on the other end of the couch, as Edward moved over. She was very thoughtful, skipping through her most recent visions. _Something __seems __off, _she thought, more to herself than to Edward. _Something__is __changing. __It __could __be __Bella, __but __there __is __no __way __of __knowing __for __certain, __since __I __can__'__t __see __her. __That__'__s __so __annoying._

She was going through even more visions all of them unclear and shifting quickly. The girl seemed to be in most of them. _Edward, __you __seem __to __be __important __to __my __visions, __like __your __life __is __changing. _Now Edward could see himself standing in a meadow. He knew that meadow, it was a place that he really liked to go too when the weather was sunny.

_Well, __time __will __tell __I __suppose, _Alice thought with a very irritated voice. She hated not knowing. She pouted lightly.

Edward chuckled at her disgruntled pout.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or its charactars, those are Stephenie Meyers.

**A/N:** Another chapter... About Bella's past. I hope you like it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Thinking about the past**

Bella had driven to her new home, in her car. She was glad to be out of the Cullen's house and to be away from them. They seemed very polite and nice even, but Bella just couldn't relax around other vampires. She had never been able to be around others of her kind, without feeling nervous, after her maker was killed.

She had only made one friend, in her century of immortality. His name was Damian and had been even older than Bella was. They had travelled together for a few years, but couldn't really stay together for much longer. Bella has never killed a human, she hunted animals, but Damian hunted the ordinary way. He hunted humans.

Bella grimaced, put the music on even louder and let the memories float back.

Flashback:

Damian looked at Bella, the way he always did when she brought this subject up. He looked annoyed. "Why would I hunt animals? They don't even smell appetizing."

Bella grimaced when she thought off the animals scent in comparison to the scent of humans. She could see his point, but it was certainly not enough to make her kill humans. "Yes, I know, but it does grow on you. I promise."

They were hunting, or at least Bella was. She had taken Damian along with her, to show him her hunting style. He had gone with her out of curiosity and nothing else, Bella knew that. Her friend had no intensions on changing his hunting style. Still, it was good to show him his options.

Bella had soon spotted a mountain lion. It was hunting as well, but it would never finish it. Bella grimaced and then let her hunting instincts take over.

End of the flashback.

Bella chuckled lightly when she remembered Damian's scowl when he smelted the animal blood. This memory was followed by another very unpleasant memory. Bella's chuckle faded and she grimaced, letting the memory flow in her mind.

Flashback:

Bella and Damian had been staying in a cabin in the woods, just outside town. Damian had left a few hours ago, stating he was going hunting. He had even asked Bella if she wanted to accompany him. She had of course said no, knowing that if she went with him she would kill someone, not being able to restrain herself.

So Bella had stayed in cabin, reading the books Damian had brought for her, last time he had gone into town. She was in the middle of Wuthering Heights, when Damian had returned. His eyes had been blazing red with the new blood he had taken from humans.

Bella could smell human blood on him and immediately left the cabin. She went for a run in the woods to clear her head. Remorse was what made her go back, she had hurt his feelings by running away from him. She never meant to hurt him, but the scent was just too strong for her.

When she had returned, she saw Damian sitting on the couch, next to her book which she had abandoned to leave the cabin. He looked up with a sad expression on his face.

"This isn't working out, is it?" he asked with a pained voice.

End of the flashback.

Damian and Bella had gone their separate ways after that. It still pained her as she thought about so many years later. She really had liked him, he was like a big brother to her, and she still missed him very much. After their separation, they had seen each other a few other times, but never for really long, since it still pained them both and they knew they couldn't stay together.

After that she had spent her existence alone. She had never met anyone who had shared her thoughts on the vampires hunting or who had hunted animals instead of humans. That is, until this very day. It amazed her that it had only been one day. Her existence had changed so much, when she had met the Cullen's.

The Cullen's obviously hunted animals; the proof was easily seen in their eyes, so they had that in common. They seemed to be a very close family. A family like Bella hadn't seen since she was human. The kind of family Bella had longed for ever since she had become a vampire. Now she had finally found such a family and she didn't dare to come closer.

Still thinking about the Cullen's left a lot of different feelings twisting inside her. She remembered how nervous she had been, when she had to tell them about her shield. Bella had tried not to tell them the full potential of her shield. However, when she learned that Edward could read mind and Jasper could sense and control the emotions of the ones around him, she knew she had to tell them at least something. So she had told them at little as possible. She had only told them about the mind shielding part of her shield, but in fact she could do more than that.

Bella mentally shook herself. She looked around herself, noticing that she was feeling claustrophobic in her new house. She had to get out of here, she realized, so she quickly made new plans. Pulling out the nearest lying map, she started planning a hunting trip. She had already studied the map before, so she was done very quickly.

She ran out of the house and went the complete opposite of the Cullen house. She hadn't planned to go far, nor did she have to. Soon she found a herd of deer. They weren't very appetizing, but they would do. Bella hurried and took down the biggest one, before they could even notice her.

After she had taken down another deer, she had her full. She started walking back in the general direction of her house. She didn't need a map or compass. The scent she had left behind was enough of a path. Bella walked slightly faster than human pace, feeling no hurry as she still had a few hours left before school.

School. That single word left Bella twitching in several ways. It would mean she would see the Cullen's again. She didn't have the slightest idea as to how she was supposed to feel or even as to how they felt towards her. She did want to see them again and get to know them. She had never met animal hunters before and they seemed to be a very open family.

Bella walked into a small clearing in the woods and decided to sit down. There was a fallen tree where she could sit on. She sat there staring at the stars. She let her thoughts run ahead of her, not making an effort to control them or her emotions. When the sky began to lighten, she found herself wishing that this night would not end as of yet. She liked the silence, even if she didn't feel at peace, she wasn't ready to go back to high school right know.

But still the time kept on racing ahead of her. When she had only an hour before school, she ran back to her house. She changed and got out to the car. She sped to school, not caring if she would break any traffic laws. Her route to school was empty, so she didn't even need to drive at the proper speed.

When she arrived at school, she took her time finding a parking spot. She still had a lot of time left before school started. It was only until after she got out of the car that she saw Edward and Alice standing by the Volvo seemingly waiting for her.

Bella looked at Edward and saw once again that curious expression. She chuckled as she strode towards them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, otherwise I wouldn't be writing a fanfic, now would I?

**A/N:** new chapter called Mike is an idiot, jeesh what would that be about? A big Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. Please check out my other stories as well!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Mike is an idiot**

Bella smiled as she walked towards Alice and Edward. Her fears of the early morning seemed silly and childish now that she was looking at their friendly faces. She briefly wondered where their siblings were, but decided that they must have gone to class already. Bella didn't want to dwell on it too long.

"Hello," she said when she was within human hearing distance.

"Hello," Edward answered politely in his soft voice.

However, before he could say anything else, the small vampire at his side piped in. "Hi, Bella, how are you?" she said cheerfully.

Bella chuckled softly, well Edward was looking at his sister annoyed. "I am doing well, thank you," she answered, reminding herself to always be polite. "How are you doing this morning, Alice?"

Alice looked at her, her eyes widening, then she looked at Edward. It took her a second to answer. "I'm great," she said as she found her cheery mood once again.

"And you, Edward, how was your night?" Bella asked, turning to him. She smiled politely.

He smiled back in return. "It was enjoyable." Something like amusement twinkled in his eyes. Suddenly he looked off to the side, where apparently the blond human, Mike or something, was standing and most likely staring at them talking. Edward frowned and growled very quietly. Bella looked from Mike to Edward and raised one eyebrow at him. He just shrugged, but he was still frowning. Alice just rolled her eyes.

"So, are you joining us for lunch?" Alice asked, almost bouncing in excitement.

"But we don't eat," Bella answered amused.

Alice started to pout and Bella had to suppress a chuckle. She looked at Edward and saw that he had a small smile on his face. "That doesn't matter, it is for pretense," Alice pouted, before another brilliant smile broke across her face. "Besides I'm sure that some of my siblings wouldn't mind getting to know you better."

Edward scowled at her, while Bella frowned, not understanding what she meant. Even though, she was thrilled that at least Alice was taking such a liking to her. She carefully hid her emotions, so she could analyze them when she was alone. It was always better to be careful around other vampires, than to be open about your emotions. Bella had experienced this in the hard way.

"All right, sure, I'll join you for lunch," she said.

"Great," Alice was now literally bouncing up and down with joy and excitement.

Edward bit back a laugh. "Easy, Alice, Bella had only agreed to join us for lunch, nothing else. So, please calm down, you are embarrassing me." Alice pouted at him and Edward laughed for real now.

It had been a long time since Bella had seen something like these two, having a brother and sister fight. It was hilarious to Bella and at the same time it was almost painful for her to look at. She didn't have such relationships, but she now knew that she was longing for them.

Edward looked away again and sighed. "We should get to class, don't want to be late now, do we?" He smiled at Bella and then they parted, off to different classes and different buildings.

Bella arrived at her class in time and sat down at the same table as the day before, in the back of the class. The seat next to her remained empty and the teacher started class. Bella doodled on her note block not even bordering to look like she was paying attention. Of course, she could still hear everything the teacher was saying with perfect clarity. She was drawing a set of eyes with a lot of detail. She only noticed whose eyes they were when class ended. She had drawn Edwards eyes, more than one time.

It startled Bella, but she pushed the drawing into her back when she saw a human coming close from her peripheral vision. She looked up and mentally scowled when she saw who it was. Mike was coming towards her with a one thousand watt smile on his face.

Bella sighed very silently, before she put a polite smile on her face. She didn't exactly wanted to encourage him, but she was taught to be polite first and give people a chance before judging them. That believe only became stronger after she was turned. She didn't want humans to be prejudice to her for being a vampire, so she wasn't judging humans at all.

"Hey, Bella," Mike called to her, even though he was just one table over.

Bella suppressed the need to make a run for it. "Hello, Mike," she said at a more normal tone. _Just __stay __polite, __just __stay __polite, _she chanted to herself, but she couldn't help to silently add: _And __don__'__t __encourage __him, __you __don__'__t __want __that, either._

"I'll walk you to your next class," he said. Bella just stared at him. That was rude of him; it wasn't even a question, just an assumption. Now, she had to try her hardest not the growl at him.

"No, thank you, Mike, I'll be fine on my own, I remember just fine where my next class is," she answered his non-question and started to walk away.

Mike's face fell and the smile disappeared. "All right," he mumbled under his breath. It was not meant for Bella to hear, but of course she could. Not that he knew that she had such a strong hearing. He saw Bella walk away from her and cornered her in near her table.

Bella narrowed her eyes at him and he flinched a little bit, but not enough for him to step back and allow her to pass by.

"So…" he started to say, but then he hesitated. He finished in what looked like one breath. "So since when do you hang out with the Cullens?"

"Since yesterday, I've only been here for a day, Mike," Bella pointed out to him, feeling very annoyed at the ignorant human.

His face turned red, because of his embarrassed blush and Bella chuckled, making Mike's face even redder. He thought she was laughing at him, which in truth she was, but only because she was so relieved she couldn't blush anymore.

Bella used this moment, while he was distracted by feeling embarrassed, to make her escape. She walked around him and quickly headed to the exit.

"Wait," Mike called after exactly two seconds. He stormed after her, making her exit look even more gracious and inhuman than it already was. "Don't be mad. It's just that the Cullens are not exactly… it's just that they seem…" Mike seemed to struggle with his words.

Bella looked back at him, feeling slightly guilty, but she didn't stop walking. However, Mike's next words completely wiped away her guilt and even all other positive feelings she might have had for him.

"The Cullens are freaks," he blurted out, just when they walked out of the door.

Bella hissed very low at him, anger and rage seethed through her. But Mike wasn't looking at her. It was just because Bella had been looking at him, that she saw his eyes open wide with fear. He was looking straight passed Bella at something just outside the door. Bella turned around to see a furious looking Edward standing a few feet outside the class room, staring at Mike. She could hear a low hiss come from him, but she was sure Mike wouldn't be able to hear it.

Before Edward had a chance to say anything, Bella turned back to Mike. She was so mad; she had no words for it. "Typical," she hissed and Mike flinched away from him. "Just because they are slightly different from every other Hill Billy in this town," – okay maybe that was an understatement, Bella thought to herself - "You immediately have to feel better about yourself and use that word," – she really hated it when someone called another 'freak', there was really no excuse for that - "on the contrary, I find Edward and his family a joy to be around. They seem to accept me for me, not making themselves or me look any bit different than who we really are. Goodbye, Mike."

Bella was well aware that, with every word she had said, Mike at flinched more and more away from her. She could see that she looked more and more like a frightening vampire. _Good, _she thought.

Then she turned to look at Edward. He was looking at her, a little shocked, but when he saw Bella looking at him, he smiled. Bella smiled back, she felt her anger at Mike almost disappear, when she looked at Edward.

"Hello, Edward," she said as she walked towards him. She decided to make Mike even more on edge than he probably already was. "Will you walk me to my next class?" she asked Edward. "I seem to have forgotten where it is."

Edward looked a bit bewildered, but after turning his dark glare to Mike once again, he chuckled and offered Bella an arm. "But, of course, Bella," he said and together they walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight or the Characters. I'm just playing around with them.

**A/N:** Hey everyone, I hope you like this new chapter. I'm working on putting more of the background of Bella into the story, but I'm doing it slowly, so have patience. Other then that I have nothing more to see. Except, before anyone might ask, yes, I do have a kind of plot, or at least a sort of idea, of where this story is heading.

Please review and let me know what you think!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Friends**

After Edward walked Bella to her second class, most humans gave her a wide range, to let her pass without even daring to look her in the eye. She thought it was a little sad, that something so little destroyed her fragile relations with all the humans, but she was mostly just glad that nobody bordered her anymore.

After walking to her second hour, Edward stood outside the classroom at the end of that hour as well. Bella smiled and went to him without even asking any questions. It was only when they were walking towards the cafeteria that she started a conversation.

"So, Edward, is this going to become a routine?" she asked smiling up at him, to show that she really didn't mind if it would somehow become routine.

Edward smiled back at her, but she also saw a sort of sadness in his eyes. "It could be a routine, if you want it to," he answered her question.

Bella pretended to think it over, though she knew the answer instantly. She tried to keep a straight face, when she faced him to answer. "I don't think that I would be very opposed to that."

Edward raised one eyebrow at her and Bella chuckled, not able to keep on a straight face any longer, after seeing his expression.

They walked into the cafeteria and got in line to get food that they wouldn't eat. The other Cullen's were already seated at the same table they were in yesterday. Edward and Bella walked towards the table and Bella started to get a little nervous again.

However, she was greeted with smiles. Mostly polite smiles from Emmett and Jasper, but Alice and Rosalie's expressions were opposites. Alice was getting a little excited again, watching Edward and Bella together. Rosalie, however, just scowled as she saw her brother walking towards them together with Bella. She suddenly started a conversation with Emmett.

Bella averted her face away from Rosalie and caught a look on Edwards face. He was staring at the back of Rosalie's head and he almost seemed angry about something, perhaps about something she was thinking.

"Hi, Bella," Alice said in a very high voice. Jasper put a hand on her shoulder, to stop her from bouncing up and down in the chair.

"Hello Alice, everyone," Bella said politely turning to the rest of the family as well. Bella walked to the two empty seats to sit down, but Edward beat her to it and pulled a chair back for her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, she didn't often she anyone with such good manners anymore, be it vampire or human, and his face fell slightly.

Bella immediately started to feel guilty, so she smiled at him. "Thank you, Edward," she said. "I have to say, you really are a gentlemen."

He laughed lightly and the rest of his family smirked. "It is just how I was raised," he said, still smiling.

"Maybe you should say, _when_ you were raised," Emmett commented and boomed a laugh.

Bella was intrigued; she really wanted to know more about the background of the Cullens, especially when they were changed. That was always very different and interesting. It really gave an inside in the different personalities.

Bella looked at Edward with a curious look, which was so close to his own, that Edward laughed at her expression. "Well," Bella said, pushing Edward to begin with the story that she felt coming.

He looked at her with a very amusing look on his face. The he started with his story. "Out of all of us, Carlisle is the oldest. He was turned around 1650." He waited to see if that would any reaction out of Bella, but she just listened to him with wide eyes. The widening of her eyes had to do mostly with the sound of his voice. It was so musical, she loved listening to him.

"Carlisle was the one that started with hunting animals, before every one of us were even born. His human life was stolen and he never wanted to steal anyone else's." Bella nodded at this. That had been her own reasoning to hunt animals and never harm a human.

"He found me in 1918. I was 17 years old and dying of the Spanish influenza." Edwards gaze became a little dazed and he was staring off into space, letting himself be taken over by his memories. "He changed me and with that he saved my life." Edward trailed off. Bella looked from Edward to the others; they had turned to their own silent conversations. _Lovebirds,_ Bella muttered in her thoughts. It was obvious to her that the two couples were mates and very happy with each other.

"Carlisle sounds even nicer than he seemed when I met them," Bella complimented the so human like vampire. She really did like Carlisle, even if she had only spoken to him once. It was obvious that the other Cullen's spoke highly of their father figure.

Everyone laughed lightly at her compliment, all in agreement, though. Alice and Edward shared a glance, like they were communicating. But then again, they probably were, with Edward being able to read minds.

"When were you born and changed?" Alice asked in a cheery voice.

Bella scowled. It was not something she liked to think about.

"Alice, she doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to," Edward scolded Alice. He had seen Bella look like something pained her, so he decided to intervene.

"He is right, darlin'," Jasper said. "You should not force her to tell you something like that. You know it is painful for most."

Alice pouted, first at Edward then at Jasper, for interrupting her fun. Bella chuckled at her expression, her pain about her change temporarily forgotten. The Cullen's really were turning into friends, she realized as she heard herself laugh so carefree. Well, Edward and Alice at least. Bella wasn't sure about Jasper and Emmett. Rosalie, she was sure, disliked her very much, though Bella didn't know why.

"That's quit alright, I don't mind," she said and it was true to a certain height. "Not really," she muttered very quietly on the end. "I was changed into a vampire in 1907, I was 18 years old at the time." She smirked at Edward, he had a look of shock in his eyes. "Yep, I'm older then you," she stated, enjoying this moment very much.

Alice, Jasper and Emmett laughed and Edward just smirked back at her. It didn't escape Bella's notice that Rosalie turned her head away from their conversation on purpose. However, Bella didn't let it destroy this perfect happy scene or the fun she was having.

Bella heard Alice sigh softly and saw Edward's amusement. She was about to ask what she was doing when she heard a noise. Apparently, it was at that moment that the bell decided to ring and destroy the perfect moment.

Bella and the Cullen's stood up and all disposed of their trays. After that Bella said goodbye to everyone except Edward. They started walking towards the Biology class room.

"They like you, you know," Edward said softly. "Especially Alice." He chuckled.

"They do?" Bella asked completely surprised with the way this conversation was going. "But Rosalie…" she trailed of, not able to get her insecurities under words.

"Just ignore Rosalie, I do," he said. He was joking, but his expression was a frown.

Bella let out a nervous laugh. "All right then, I will." _At least for the upcoming hour, _she commented in her thoughts.

"So, how about you?" he asked suddenly. "Do you like us?"

Bella smiled at them. "In fact, I do. You and your family are very nice. I have never met a coven of vampires that's so open and so like a family," Bella slowly admitted.

Edward smiled in return. It stayed quiet being to two for a few feet.

"So, Bella…" he trailed off, seeming unsure of how to continue. "Do you consider us friends?"

Bella felt shocked, Edward was being very straight forward. "Um… us?"

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude… again," he hurried to explain himself. "It's just so strange that I can't hear your thoughts." Bella secretly smirked at this; she liked the fact that her thoughts were so private. "And with us, I mean me and my family."

"Friends," Bella mused.

"Or not…" he muttered trailing off again.

Bella couldn't stand the sad look on his face, she was starting to feel guilty, and so she quickly answered his question. "Yes, I do. I do see you as a friend."

A breath taking crooked grin appeared on his face and Bella knew that if she had been human, her heart would have pounded out of her chest.

"So, we are friends," Edward said, still smiling, though Bella heard something different in his velvet voice as well. Was it longing? No, she couldn't have heard it right.

And as friends, they entered the Biology room together, to sit on their table and go through another boring lecture.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Yay, Bella is older then Edward... I really like that... Sorry, I couldn't help myself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does... (poor me :()

**A/N:** Hey, wow I haven't updated in too long... sorry, guys, you must have thought I dropped the story... well, I will never do that. I'm going to stick with my story until the end. Okay, so Edward and Bella are in the 'friendzone', getting to know each other. Alice is only too willing to help and get them both together. So this is an Alice chapter... I rewrote it several times, and it still came out a little morbid, so sorry for that, but there is really not a cheerful, wanting to go shopping kind of Alice in this chapter...

So I hope you enjoy, chapter 10 shouldn't take too long, but I don't want to give anyone false hope.

So Please read and Review...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Visions: A Future set in Stone?**

Alice (third person) POV

Alice was walking through the corridors of Forks High School, a few days after Bella and Edward had their friend talk (something that always made Alice smile while feeling frustrated at Edwards denial of his own feelings).

Jasper was walking by her side, gripping her arm by her elbow, to steer her in the right direction. Alice had spent every minute that she was away from Edward (which was quite a lot, since he was always with Bella), searching for the future. She wanted to know what would happen between Bella and Edward. She knew that it would affect the rest of the family as well.

After the friend talk, Alice had seen several different possible futures and not all were good. Several had displayed a meadow, which Alice knew was one of Edward's favorite places here. So, he was bound to take Bella there at some point. Not all of those had gone well.

There also was a regular vision that always displayed in a clearing that Alice vaguely knew, because it was the place where the family always played baseball. Again, these visions had both gone bad and well. But the time was always different and that was both very strange and unnerving.

Alice worried very much about her brother and his happiness. She knew that if anything went wrong now, he would blame himself until the end of time, maybe even literally. So Alice searched the future again and again, until she would become to frustrated and irritated with the lack of information her visions were giving her.

Focusing on the present again, Alice noticed that she and Jasper were now walking along the side walk, in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Are you alright, darlin'?" Jasper asked her, noticing that she had pulled herself out of her visions.

"Yes," she said, but she started to pout a little. Her visions have never let her down, why did that have to start now?

"It is not your fault, Alice," Jasper told her, reading her emotions with his extra sense, though he really didn't have, he knew Alice very well, so he knows what she is thinking. "Your visions are not all-knowing. You are too depended on your visions. Just relax and wait, for once." He chuckled softly as Alice really pouted at him this time.

Then she sighed. "Fine, I'll wait. For now."

They walked into the cafeteria and got themselves some food that they weren't going to eat, before they joined the rest of their family and Bella at their usual table. Ever since her first day, Bella hadn't once sat again with the humans she sat with then. Not that she, or the Cullen's for that matter, really cared.

"Hi," Alice greeted everyone, while she and Jasper sat down. Rosalie and Emmett greeted them short and then went back to their conversation. However, Bella and Edward both greeted them a lot more enthusiastically.

"Hey, Alice, Jasper," Bella said.

"Hi," Edward said, "we were just planning a big hunting trip this weekend. Do you want in?"

Alice looked at him, then at Bella and finally at Jasper. Jasper nodded, just the slightest movement of his head, letting Alice know that he would be fine with whatever she wanted. Alice smiled, thinking Edward and Bella deserved some alone time to get to know each other.

"No thanks, we're good," she said, with Jasper nodding along.

The look on Edwards face was almost relief and Alice felt Jasper laugh beside her, until Edward sent him a glare. Yes, alone time with Bella certainly would do Edward some good, Alice thought.

When the Cullen's arrived home, well four of them anyway, after school, Alice and Jasper went upstairs to their room. Rosalie and Emmett disappeared in the garage, where Rosalie was working on her car. Esme was also occupied else where. Edward had gone with Bella, not even bothering to come home first. Carlisle was still at work; he had the day shift these weeks.

So with everyone busy and in their own world, the only one that noticed Alice's grim and frustrating mood was Jasper. He was slowly getting more and more concerned about his mate, as she walked slowly though the house and into their room, content on staying there for a while.

Alice wanted to use this Edward free afternoon to search for his future and the future of the rest of their family, without him hearing or someone interrupting her. Edward always watched when she was having visions. She never blamed him, but like the privacy without him all the same.

Alice started pacing, walking through the room in a slow fashion for a vampire, under the watchful eye of Jasper. She flipped through all the visions she's had since Bella's arrival.

Normally, she wouldn't have been so worried, but she hated to be unprepared and surprised by the events that were yet to come. She sighed. Before they had met Bella, it was always Edward that was concerned about that. But now… now he was distracted. Alice knew that his feelings for Bella went deeper then he wanted to admit, not even to himself.

She sighed again, she couldn't help it. Edwards denial had the future all tangled up, it was very frustrating for her. Her visions made no sense half of the time.

She continued with her pondering. Then Jasper saw Alice's gaze over and knew she was having a vision. Alice's body stiffened and he quickly walked to her side. He wanted to be close, in case she needed him.

Alice didn't notice anything of this. She was pulled in her vision and was suddenly unaware of everything except her vision. It was a heavier, more emotionally loaded vision, than the ones she has had recently.

She saw a field in the forest and it was green, no snow, so during more warmer times. Alice recognized the field. She and the Cullens had played baseball there a few times before. That was strange, no one had made a conscious decision to go back there anytime soon.

Then figures came into view in the vision. They were not just any humans, they were vampires. There were four of them and the first thing Alice noticed were their eyes. They were red, so the strange vampires were human-hunters.

She watched as one of the four, slowly came forward, with a strange expression on his face. It was hard for her to read and thus to know what he was thinking.

As she watched him, she got the most peculiar and familiar feeling. Though, Alice was certain that they had not yet met each other, there was something strange about her.

The vampire stopped just a few feet in front of her and stopped moving altogether. Alice got a safe feeling, so she focused on the others. As she concentrated on them, she noticed she could not see them clearly. It startled her, she didn't really know what to think about it.

Somewhere from behind her, sounding very distant, she heard a fierce snarl.

Then, as she turned around to look from where or rather from who it came from, she was hurled out of the vision, back into her body.

Alice looked up and blinked a few times, unnecessary. What just happened? She was feeling a bit disorientated, more so than with other visions. It was then that she saw Jasper hovering over her in a protective way.

"Calm down, Jazz, I'm fine," she said as she walked towards the bed and sat down. "It was just a vision."

"What did you see?" he asked, not at all reassured by her previous words.

"I see nomads coming," Alice told him, to calm him down mostly, "but it's different from other times, somehow." She frowned, pondering about the possibilities. She replayed the vision in her head. Now, it struck her as obvious. This vision or rather these nomads were different from others that had past them. One of these nomads seemed to have more of a goal in coming here than the others in her vision. Almost like he was looking for something or someone, but she didn't recognize him.

"How many?" Jasper interrupted her thoughts. Normally, he wouldn't have done so, but he sensed danger and if that was the case then he must know.

"Not many," she answered, still half trapped in her thoughts. "Just four."

"Good," Jasper said. "That's nothing we can't handle."

"I'm not sure if we should view them as a threat," she said slowly, watching for Jasper's reaction. "This vision is different, but I can't quite put my finger on it." Alice was starting to get frustrated again by the lack of information her visions gave her nowadays.

"Darlin'," Jasper interrupted her again, sighing. He could feel her frustration and tried to calm her somewhat. "Don't stress yourself. We can handle whatever comes our way. Stop worrying yourself."

Alice nodded absentmindedly. She went through the vision one more time. The feeling it gave her, it was familiar. She was sure that this was not the first vision that made her feel this way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I hope you liked it, so please review.

The next chapter will be about the hunt, which is a sort of first date for Edward and Bella, it might envolve the Meadow...


End file.
